Selvage stabilizer for looms



Feb. 20, 1968 c. F. LIBBY 3,369,572

SELVAGE STABILIZER FOR LOOMS Filed Aug. 29, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.|

FIG.2

INVENTOR. CARL F. LIBBY ATTORNEYS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. CARL F. LIBBY BY M,

ATTORNEYS C. F. LIBBY SEWAGE STABILIZER FOR LOOMS Feb. 20, 1968 Filed Aug. 29, 1966 FIG.4

3,369,572 SELVAGE STABILIZER Ffiit LOOMS Carl F. Libby, Stoughton, Mass, assignor to .iohn D.

Riordan, Alton, N.H., and Gertrude C. Libby, Stough ton, Mass., trustees of the Libby Family Trusts Filed Aug. 29, 1966, Ser. No. 575,891 3 Claims. (Ci. 139-195) web and thus to cause transverse contraction of the web.

To counteract this tendency edge Wires are often used in looms at either side of the warp shed, the weft yarn being passed around these wires before being projected through the shed. To prevent transverse contraction of the web after it has been formed, temples are provided to engage the margins of the web as close to the fell as possible, one form of temple consisting chiefly of a roll over each margin of the web, each roll having several pins projecting from its cylindrical surface to penetrate the web at its margins near the fell. These devices are open to certain objections in practice.

An object of the presentinvention is to stabilize the selvages by catching and temporarily holding the weft yarn at the tell of the fabric, the yarn loop connecting the pick which has just been beaten up by the reed and the pick which is being projected through the shed being reference may be had to the following description thereof and the drawings, of which 1 FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of a device embodying the invention, showing its relation to the warp shed, the fabric and the reed;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the same parts plus a Weft-laying finger, and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the parts in other positions.

While the device hereinafter described is applicable to various kinds of looms, it is shown on the drawings, by way of example, in connection with a shuttleless loom for weaving a six-inch fabric by employing a finger to thrust a loop of weft yarn F through the warp shed 12 from one side thereof after each change of shed, each such loop being caught at the far side of the shed by a knitting needle 14 which is operated to knit the end of each loop through the end 15 of the preceding loop to form the selvage at the far side of the warp shed. The knitting needle serves to stabilize the selvage at its side of the fabric 16.

To stabilize the selvage on the near side of the fabric (the side from which the weft-laying finger is projected through the shed), a hook-shaped member is mounted on a stationary part of the loom frame, such as a horizontal rod 22. As shown on the drawings, the member 20 is a thin plate supported in a vertical plane, the hook end extending down between two consecutive Warp yarns of the shed 12. When the shed is open as shown in FIG- URE l, the bill 24- of the hook 20 extends below the plane of the lower yarns 25 of the shed, the tip 26 of the bill being tangent to or slightly below that plane and a little to the rear of the fell 28 of the fabric 16. After the finger 19 has thrust a loop of weft yarn through the shed, has deposited the far end of the loop on the needle 1 3,369,572 Patented eh. 20,1968

and has retracted from the shed, the Weft loop is about as indicated in FIGURE 2 just before the needle 14 draws the end of the loop through the previous loop 15 .at the fell 28 and the reed 30 swings forward to the fell to beat up the loop then in the shed. When that is done the weft yarn extends from in front of the outermost dent 3'2 of the reed to the finger it) as indicated in FIG- URE 4.

The plate 20 projects rearwardly from the rod 22 int0 the warp shed near the fell of the fabric. As indicated in FIGURE 1, the rear portion of the plate 20 has a lower edge 3 extending downwardly and forwardly in the shed from the upper yarns 35 of the shed to the lower yarns 25 thereof. This edge after passing below the lower yarns 25 curves upward to terminate at the tip 26 of the bill 24 of the hook, this tip being located in the plane of the lower warp yarns 25.-Within the throat of the hook 24 is a forwardly facing edge portion 43th When the finger 10 is thrust into the shed to project a loop of weft yarn to the far side as in-dicated'in FIGURE 1, the weft yarn leads from the fell of the fabric around the edge portion 34 of the plate 29 and through the shed as indicated in FIGURE 2. Since the movement of the finger 10 into the shed causes an unavoidable tension on the portion F of the weft yarn which has just been beaten up at the tell of the fabric, some of this portion of the weft yarn is apt to be pulled away from the fell and the outermost warp yarns are apt to be pulled inward. The rearward displacement of the portion F is limited by the edge portion 40 in the throat of the book. The weft at this point must pass around the portion of the book which is in the shed, that is, between the upper Warp yarns 35 and the lower warp yarns 25. When the reed 30 heats up the weft loop left in the shed by the finger it), the portion of the weft yarn from the edge 40 to the edge 34 of the hook provides sufiicient slack at this point for the outermost warp yarns to straighten and maintain the full width of the web at the fell. For this reason the plate 20 is usually, but not always necessarily, inward of the outermost dent 32 of the reed. Thus the width of the fabric is established effectively at the fell, where it should be. The location of the plate 20 in any particular instance will depend on the yarns employed and the type of fabric to be Woven. For example, the plate is shown in FIGURE 2 between the third and fourth dents, counting from the outermost dent 32. In FIGURE 4 the plate is between the second and third dents, but if a very loose selvage is desired, the plate 20 can be mounted outside of the outermost dent 32.

Each time the reed 30 swings forward to beat up a pick of Weft yarn, the sloping edge 34 cams the pick down to depress the lower warp yarns enough for the pick to pass to the fell 23. The pick is pushed forward tov the fell, clear of the hookZti, the shed is changed and the reed swings back to make Way for the insertion of the next pick of weft yarn.

I claim:

ll. In a loom having a frame, warp-shed forming means, a reed with dents and means for projecting picks of weft through the shed, a selvage stabilizer comprising a thin plate mounted in a vertical plane on a stationary part of said frame, said plate extending rearwardly above andbeyond the fell of the fabric which is being woven and being arranged to be received between dents of said reed when the reed moves forward tobea-t up a pick of Weft yarn, the rear end portion of said plate having an edge portion sloping downwardly and forwardly from the plane of the upper threads of the shed to below the plane of the lower threads, said plate also having a forwardly facing edge portion between the planes of the upper and lower threads of the shed and to the rear of the fell of the fabric.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said rear end portion of the plate being in the form of a'hookhaving a forwardly extending bill forming a throat within the shed near the fell of the fabric, said forwardly facing edge portion of the plate being within said hook.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim I, said plate being located inward from the outermost active reed dent.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,009,472 11/1911 Clark 139-l95 2,254,868 10/1941 Brown 139-195 2,582,342 1/1952 Levers et a1 139-195 XR HENRY s. JAUDON, Primary Examiner.- 

1. IN A LOOM HAVING A FRAME, WARP-SHED FORMING MEANS, A REED WITH DENTS AND MEANS FOR PROJECTING PICKS OF WEFT THROUGH THE SHED, A SELVAGE STABILIZER COMPRISING A THIN PLATE MOUNTED IN A VERTICAL PLANE ON A STATIONARY PART OF SAID FRAME, SAID PLATE EXTENDING REARWARDLY ABOVE AND BEYOND THE FELL OF THE FABRIC WHICH IS BEING WOVEN AND BEING ARRANGED TO BE RECEIVED BETWEEN DENTS OF SAID REED WHEN THE REED MOVES FORWARD TO BEAT UP A PICK OF WEFT YARN, THE REAR END PORTION OF SAID PLATE HAVING AN EDGE PORTION SLOPING DOWNWARDLY AND FORWARDLY FROM THE PLANE OF THE UPPER THREADS OF THE SHED TO BELOW THE PLANE OF THE LOWER THREADS, SAID PLATE ALSO HAVING A FORWARDLY FACING EDGE PORTION BETWEEN THE PLANES OF THE UPPER AND LOWER THREADS OF THE SHED AND TO THE REAR OF THE FELL OF THE FABRIC. 